2024 NFL Draft Grades: Carolina Panthers

Day 1 grade: C
Day 2 grade: A
Day 3 grade: B+

Analysis: Carolina gave up what eventually turned into the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft as part of last year's trade to select quarterback Bryce Young. The Panthers moved up a spot to pick Legette at the end of Round 1. He will need to show he was a better pick than several other receivers selected in the second round. Brooks should be an excellent back once recovered from his knee injury. Wallace was an excellent value in Round 3 and can take over for Frankie Luvu, who exited in free agency.

Sanders is a smooth pass-catching tight end who will be looking to outperform past Carolina draft picks Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble. Smith-Wade is quicker than fast, making life difficult for receivers by sticking like glue.

Top needs entering the draft: Wide receiver, center, edge defender

It's difficult to start here without mentioning what the Panthers don't have in this draft, and that's the No. 1 overall pick. They traded their 2024 first-rounder a year ago to move up for quarterback Bryce Young, a move that didn't work out as Young struggled and Carolina went 2-15. In hindsight, it looks like a bad deal, but there's plenty of time for Young to turn it around and for this franchise to get back on track under new coach Dave Canales. It's worth noting that while I have Caleb Williams rated higher than Young in my pre-draft evaluations, Young's 2023 grade is similar to Jayden Daniels' and Drake Maye's this year. He can be a great player with support around him.

The Panthers were active on the first two days of the draft, making four trades, two down and two up the board. They ended up with two players who will directly help Young in Xavier Legette (32) and Jonathon Brooks (46). Legette, my sixth-ranked wideout, put up 1,255 yards in a breakout season. Carolina needed an injection of youth and talent in its wide receiver room, and Legette will give the offense some juice after the catch. Brooks is my top-ranked running back, a powerful and quick runner who is coming off a torn ACL. As I wrote Friday night, I expect him to make fantasy football managers happy in 2024.

Ja'Tavion Sanders (101) is a toolsy tight end in a 6-4 frame. I thought he was a little faster when I watched tape -- he ran a 4.69-second 40-yard dash at the combine -- but he caught 99 passes in his Texas career. I see him getting early snaps for an offense that has to get better outlets for Young. Linebacker Trevin Wallace (72) went about two rounds higher than I had rated him, but he has some stickiness in coverage against tight ends. One under-the-radar asset Carolina added in its trades on Friday was a 2025 second-rounder from the Rams. I'm a fan of these types of deals for teams that aren't close to contending.

It's difficult to go much higher for Carolina with this grade, but if the organization's priority was to help Young in 2024, it did a decent job.

THE PANTHERS FACED AN UPHILL BATTLE IN THIS DRAFT after sending what ultimately became the first overall pick to the Bears in last year's trade-up for Bryce Young. Unfortunately I didn't exactly love what the team did with the rest of their picks, either. Carolina traded up into the first round to take my 81st-ranked player at no. 32, landing a raw-but-explosive pass catcher in Xavier Legette. Carolina nabbed my second-ranked running back in Jonathan Brooks in the second round, and he should be a solid addition for them and give the team a future three-down playmaker at the position. They took a toolsy linebacker in Trevin Wallace in the third, then nabbed a chess piece tight end in Ja'Tavion Sanders in the fourth. I did like that Carolina traded back in the second round to pick up an extra second rounder in 2025 from the Rams, but I can't help but feel very underwhelmed by this haul.

One wants to like rookie GM Dan Morgan's first draft despite the boom-or-bust element of it. But it was imperative to give second-year QB Bryce Young more weapons, and first-round WR Xavier Legette (South Carolina), despite his lack of production prior to 2023, and second-round RB Jonathon Brooks (Texas), despite his November ACL tear, should be. Eventually. Another Longhorn, fourth-round TE Ja'Tavion Sanders, should contribute immediately, though we'll see if third-round LB Trevin Wallace (Kentucky) is up to the task. The trade of Burns, basically for a second-rounder, still doesn't sit right.

Give the Panthers credit for being ambitious, sliding up a spot for WR Xavier Legette, giving up two fifths to get the draft's top running back in Jonathon Brooks in the second. I expected a pass-rusher, and more splash on defense. Tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders felt like good value in a weak class for the position. Even without the No. 1 pick, you expect more impact from a draft after the worst record in the NFL. —Auman

Best Pick: Fourth-round tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders from Texas has the skills to be a big-time pass catcher. He isn't a blocking tight end, but even though he didn't time well him the 40, he plays fast.

Worst Pick: I like Jonathon Brooks as a player, but why take a running back in the second round with so many other needs? The thinking is to probably help Bryce Young, but they had other needs.

The Skinny: They didn't have a first-round pick -- traded away in the Young deal -- but they still ended up with one by trading up to land receiver Xavier Legette in the first round. They then moved around in the second and third to add extra picks, which I liked, and added good players like third-round linebacker Trevin Wallace and Sanders. Legette has to be Young's go-to guy.

Analysis: The Panthers struggled a bit with new GM Dan Morgan in terms of acquiring the best available talent, but at least they went through thinking about key weapons to boost Bryce Young in Year 2 after his rookie shakiness. Legette may not be able to see regular snaps early, and Sanders also needs some time. Brooks was a bit of a forced luxury and is coming off a major knee injury.

Analysis: I was a fan of this draft because the Panthers followed up on their offseason plan to get Bryce Young back on solid ground. After bulking up the guard play in free agency, Carolina went after the kind of targets who will produce yards after the catch or move the football with loaded boxes. This is a gift for any young quarterback.

When your needs are everywhere, as they are with the Panthers, just about everything is on the table. New GM Dan Morgan came into a situation in which the primary needs were playmakers and protection for Bryce Young, and the Panthers did a lot to check off the playmaker boxes. At his ultimate potential, Xavier Legette could be a combination of A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel. Johnathon Brooks, my favorite back in this class, is a powerful, explosive weapon. And J'Tavion Sanders was my TE2 in this class behind only Brock Bowers.

Chau Smith-Wade is an interesting guy who played everywhere from the box to split safety for the Cougars, and showed lockdown potential. He'll be a primary slot defender at 5-foot-11 and 176 pounds, but I really like his press abilities and recovery speed in zone.

The Panthers did the best they could with a team that is rebuilding from the studs, and was hamstrung by the Bryce Young trade. Maybe I would have liked more at tackle further up the draft, because I don't think Young can survive another season of Ikem Ekwonu blocking for him.